New at Debating Canadian Defence: An irritated take on the latest fighter review rumours. open.substack.com/pub/philippe...

New at Debating Canadian Defence: An irritated take on the latest fighter review rumours. open.substack.com/pub/philippe...

New at Debating Canadian Defence: open.substack.com/pub/philippe...

New at Debating Canadian Defence: open.substack.com/pub/philippe...

ICYMI: My first Substack post: What if voters are finally telling us the truth? They don't want to be persuaded on aid and development, and it's a waste of time to try progressdevelopment.substack.com/p/nothing-ne...

Agree with Aaron. Here's why I think Carney will pull it off if he does it in short order: open.substack.com/pub/philippe...

I think Carney's challenge is that he's trying to carry and balance a couple ideas at once: -That the world is experiencing a rupture and Canada must reduce it reliance on the US -That Canada and the US will continue to have a significant economic and security relationship

Interested in foreign affairs, global health, gender equality, and development? Check out Lauren's new Substack.

Fantastic guests on the latest episode of On The Line: Philippe Lagassé, defence analyst, joins me first for a talk on spending limits, military history, and a somewhat confusing series of positions taken by the Carney government on our future relationship with the U.S.

Interested in foreign affairs, global health, gender equality, and development? Check out Lauren's new Substack.

New at Debating Canadian Defence: open.substack.com/pub/philippe...

New at Debating Canadian Defence: open.substack.com/pub/philippe...

New at Debating Canadian Defence: open.substack.com/pub/philippe...

New at Debating Canadian Defence: philippelagasse.substack.com/p/will-canad...

Here's a new paper from Ian Brodie, Vincent Rigby and me on the Canadian Prime Minister and national security, forthcoming in Review of Constitutional Studies: "Unwritten Ultimate Responsibility: The Prime Minister and Canadian National Security" papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Here's a new paper from Ian Brodie, Vincent Rigby and me on the Canadian Prime Minister and national security, forthcoming in Review of Constitutional Studies: "Unwritten Ultimate Responsibility: The Prime Minister and Canadian National Security" papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

New at Debating Canadian Defence: philippelagasse.substack.com/p/will-canad...

Can one be appointed Prime Minister without being a parliamentarian? I can't speak authoritatively about the British context, but the Canadian answer is clear: absolutely. lagassep.substack.com/p/a-prime-mi...

It's publication day! Mine and @stephaniecarvin.bsky.social's book is now available anywhere books are sold: www.mqup.ca/Books/F/For-...

New at Debating Canadian Defence: open.substack.com/pub/philippe...

Spanish/European colleagues: do you know a graduate student who could act as a Spanish-English translator for research interviews in Madrid? Paid, of course. Law or poli sci preferred.

The United Kingdom constitution – a mapping exercise https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9384/

Stratas J is always a joy to read. He really knows how to balance technical and accessible writing. He also shows how lower courts should deal with SCC cases that go off the rails. decisions.fca-caf.gc.ca/fca-caf/deci...

For the weekend readers, my take on the SCC's ruling in Alford. In sum, the majority was right on the constitutional question, but Côté's concerns about the NSICOP Act are warranted.

New at In Defence of Westminster: open.substack.com/pub/lagassep...

New at In Defence of Westminster: open.substack.com/pub/lagassep...

New at Debating Canadian Defence: I take a look at the proposed legislation for the Defence Investment Agency. open.substack.com/pub/philippe...

New at Debating Canadian Defence: I take a look at the proposed legislation for the Defence Investment Agency. open.substack.com/pub/philippe...

Thoughtful comments from one of Canada's experts on Crown powers on the appointment of Louise Arbour as Governor General.

New at In Defence of Westminster: open.substack.com/pub/lagassep...

Arbour would be a good choice for Canada's Governot General. Experience in multiple domains, from the Supreme Court to the UN to military justice reform. Her age is both a blessing and a curse. At 79, she won't be looking for another role after, but the job may be taxing in the later years.

Alford was decided as expected. As for NSICOP, it should evolve into a parliamentary committee. Oh and the NSICOP Act 2017 was supposed to undergo a 'comprehensive review' by a parliamentary committee 5 years after it came into force. It hasn't happened yet, nine years on.

Thank you to the Coral Bell School's Security and Defence Centre and the Australian National University Law School for hosting a talk on our Stanford University Press book "Overseen or Overlooked: Legislatures, Armed Forces, and Democratic Accountability". The talk will be on 18 May, 1730-1830.

Is there a Crown prerogative to 'keep the peace' in Canada? I discuss the issue on the Runnymede podcast in light of the Emergencies Act case. podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/r...

Constitutional monarch meets conspiring to be a monarch.

A workshop I'm organizing on the powers of commanders-in-chief may end up getting nixed because of a reckless exercise of commander-in-chief powers. Not sure whether this is funny, ironic, or a sign of policy-relevant research.

New at Debating Canadian Defence: open.substack.com/pub/philippe...

New at Debating Canadian Defence: open.substack.com/pub/philippe...

No decision on the fighter review is effectively a decision in favour of the existing plan for 88 F-35. Every day that passes, the more the review looks like an attempt at leverage ahead of CUSMA negotiations, rather than a real reconsideration of the status-quo. www.ctvnews.ca/politics/art...

THREAD: A colleague and I organized a roundtable for CPSA. We included academics & practitioners. Three participants (two practitioners and a legal scholar) would have attended only this roundtable at a three-day conference. They were not presenting their own work, only commenting on ours. 1/n

What does a Commons majority mean for the Carney government, particularly when it comes to committee scrutiny? We examined this issue in depth in our book Overseen or Overlooked: www.sup.org/books/politi...

The latest from me in @thewalrus.ca Has the UCP intentionally left the barn open and set the wolves amongst the chickens? thewalrus.ca/can-alberta-...

Ottawa gives South Korean, German submarine builders opportunity to revise bids www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/art...

New post: the Supreme Court of Canada recently said that constitutional interpretation is nothing like statutory interpretation; but not that long ago it was saying the opposite. An explanation, let alone consistency, is apparently too much to hope for. doubleaspect.blog/2026/04/09/n...

US, Iran agree to 2-week ceasefire. Some thoughts: -Both had strong reasons to want the war to stop (very costly for each, even if in a very different way) -Their demands in coming talks for a durable ceasefire are VERY distant, & both will be intransigent -So the risk of renewed violence is real

Thanks to the Faculty of Public and Global Affairs @carleton.ca for profiling my academic research and policy-focused work, including my current SSHRC project on the powers of Commanders-in-Chief, which is alarmingly relevant today: carleton.ca/fpga/2026/po...

For the most Easter readers: what could Canada contribute to securing the Strait of Hormuz in the event of a ceasefire? open.substack.com/pub/theline/...

I look at what Canada could do to help open the Strait of Hormuz over at The Line: open.substack.com/pub/theline/...

In which @plagasse.bsky.social asks whether the more realistic role for middle powers is quietly cleaning up the messes created by a hegemon that acts first and (if you're lucky) thinks later www.readtheline.ca/p/philippe-l...